West Highland Park residents frustrated over rising cluster mailbox thefts

Recent reports of thieves targeting “cluster” mailboxes, the ones you normally see in apartment or townhome properties, have a community in Dallas looking for answers.

Residents who live in townhomes in West Highland Park said they have been victims of mail theft on multiple occasions, and they are looking to the United States Postal Service to do something to stop it.

Surveillance video shows an individual walking away with a bag in hand after emptying a community mailbox.

Residents now say they are worried that their personal information may be compromised.

The USPS released a statement regarding mail theft in May of 2023:

“As crime rises, so do the threats against our public servants,” said Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy. “The men and women of the Postal Service are walking our nation’s streets every day to fulfill our mission of delivering mail and packages to the American people. Every Postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public's mail.”

“We’re doubling down on our efforts to protect our Postal employees and the security of the mail. We are hardening targets – both physical and digital – to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice,” said Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale.

According to the USPS, incidents of letter carrier robberies are on the rise across the nation. In FY22, 412 USPS letter carriers were robbed on the job. With 305 incidents reported in the first half of FY23, these incidents are increasingly more prevalent, the USPS said.

The USPS also addressed reports of an increase in high volume mail theft incidents from mail receptacles including blue collection boxes: 38,500 in FY22 and more than 25,000 in the first half of FY23.

The Postal Service said the agency will continue to work with its unions and management associations on training and employee education for letter carriers and other postal workers.

Recognizing these ongoing safety threats, the Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service said they are expanding their Project Safe Delivery crime prevention initiative to protect Postal employees and facilities, prevent mail and package theft and enforce the law against individuals who perpetrate crimes against Postal employees or engage in mail and package theft.

Expanded Project Safe Delivery actions include:

• Reducing Letter Carrier Robberies and Mail Theft – As part of Project Safe Delivery, USPS and USPIS are taking action to harden physical targets against criminal activity and reduce criminal acts against postal employees including:
  • 12,000 High Security Blue Collection Boxes To Be Installed Nationwide. The Postal Service is hardening blue collection boxes making access to their contents more difficult for criminals.These boxes are now being deployed in high security risk areas through the next fiscal year. The Postal Service will continue to evaluate replacing additional existing blue collection boxes with these enhanced boxes.
  • 49,000 Electronic Locks to Replace Antiquated Arrow Locks. There has been an increase in letter carrier robberies nationwide where criminals are targeting letter carriers for their Arrow and Modified Arrow Lock (MAL) Keys. Criminals use Arrow and MAL keys to steal mail from secure mail receptacles to commit financial crimes, including altering checks to commit check fraud. To make Arrow Keys less valuable for criminals, the Postal Service will replace 49,000 antiquated arrow locks with electronic locks. New locks have been installed in select cities with installation to occur in additional major metropolitan areas soon. The Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service are also increasing Arrow Key accountability reviews in select high Postal crime areas.

It’s not clear yet, when these changes will be coming to North Texas. 

Action the American Public Can Take To Help Prevent Mail Theft

Customers can take several steps to protect their mail and their letter carriers, including:  

• Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day. 
• Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
• Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
• Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.  

The USPS said customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455.  

Individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct, including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee, to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov," the USPS said.